Golf apparatus



May 19, 1925. 1,538,822

M. KENNEDY GOLF APPARATUS Filed Aug. 29. 1923 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Patented May 19, 1925.

VTILLIAM vr. KENNEDY, .OF wAsHIneroN, msraror or COLUMBIA.

AP US- ppl ieation filed AugnSt gB, 1923. Serial No. 659,986.

To all 10720222 it mag concern:

Be it known that I, d- VILLIAM M. Krin- Nnor, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of [ashington, in the District of Colinnbia, have inventednew and useful Improvements in .Golf Apparatus, which invention is fully set forth in the following specification.

This invention relates to apparatus for playing golf, and particularly-to means for use in playing clock golf.

Greens for playing clock golf are often provided with a plurality of holes or cups from which there normally projects a marker rod hearing anuineral ,to indicate the number of the hole in order that the latter may be played in its proper sequence. The marker rod is onlyren ioved from the cup when the playerhas holedoutand wishes to remove theball fronrsaideup.

It has heretofore ,been proposed to provide marker rods of the above type "with means such that when said rod is removed from the hole awhall therein will also be extracted and forced out onto the green. Devices of this type heretofore lmown, however, have not only been expensive to manufacture, but have been so'constructed that great care and much time were 1.;equired to reinsert the n arlcer rod or flag afterthe latter had been extracted fron'ilthe'cup.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide, in combination, a cupand flag which will be durable and inexpensive to manufactureand yet so constructed that the-flag may be readily and quickly inserted intl'le cup from an inclined POsitiop.

Another object of the invention is to pro vide the flag with means which will enable balls to be easily extracted from the cup without necessitating thestooping of the player or the handling of the ball with the hand. As will appear more fully hereinafter the means provided on the marker rod serves to assist a player in properly inserting the rod into the cup from an inclined position, to remove the balls from thecup, and to maintain the rod in upright position when positioned in the cup.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which are designed merely as illustrations to assist in the description of the invention and not as defining the limits thereof, wherein Fig. l is a side elevation, partly in section, illustrating one embodiment ,of my golf apparatus,

F 1g. 2 1s a perspective v ew of the device shown in Fig. 1, the marker rod or flag Referring to the drawings, wherein like u reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views, l a cylindrical liner formedof any suitable material, such as sheetmetah Liner .4, isadapted to be inserte din a hole, in the putting green, of such depth that the top of the liner is slightly below the surface of the green. A closure 5, preferablyconical in shape fora purpose to be hereinafter clesc1ibed, nay be, and preferably is, provided for the lower end of liner tbut the same is not essential. An opening 6 is preferably formed or cut in the apex of conical closure 5.

Having a portion of its lower tapered end 7 extendingthrough opening 6, isa marker H rod, or flag 8 of a dian'ieter greater than that of opening 6, and provided at its upper end with a suitable handle 9. A plate 10, orlothersuitable indicating device, is secured in any desired manner to the upper portion ofrod 8 and preferably c'arrieson its surface a numeral for indicating ,the number of the hole.

Secured to flag or rod 8, concentrically therewith, is a conical member ;11, which ,may be made of any suitable material and ,which may be provided w th one or more openings, but which is preferably made of a s nglepiece of su tably shaped sheet metal,

secured to rod 8 at a point such that a 2 proper depth of cup is assured. Preferably the largest diameter of member 11 is slightly less than the inside diameter of liner 4. If desired the lower end of rod 8 .may be provided with oneor more grooves 12 to insure that water entering the open end of liner El will drain outthrough opening 6.

In use it will beapparent that when a ball li'lenters the cup it will rest uponthe upper face of member 11'. hen itis desired to extract the ball from the cup it is only necessry to raise the flag by means of handle 9, the necessity for steeping being thereby avoided. hen the flag is reinserted in the cup it will be seen, that even though the same is greatly inclined from the verti-al,

member 11 readily guides the same into the cup in such a manner that end 7 will invariably be guided, by the sloping sides of closure 5, into opening 6. Inthis position, member 11 insures that the flag will be maintained in upright position. It will thus be seen that conical member 11 has three functions:

(1) It facilitates the insertion of the marker rod into the liner. If the lower end 7 of rod 8 is placed within the liner, the player may release the rod, even though the latter be inclined and the force of gravity will carry said rod into the liner and into upright position. In devices of this type, heretofore proposed, it has been necessary to bring the axis of the rod into accurate alignment with the axis of the liner before releasing the rod.

(2) The player, after holding out, may grasp handle 9, and raise rod 8 and member 11, thereby removing the balls in the cup without stooping over. Conical cup member 11 is of such construction that at least four balls will be retained therein, when the rod is lifted, and will not roll out onto the green.

(8) Member 11 acts as a spacing member, when in contact with the walls of liner 4, thereby maintaining rod 8 in upright position.

It will be perceived that l. have provided, in combination, a cup and marker rod which are rugged and durable, and one which is inexpensive to manufacture. The invention is capable of receiving a variety of mechanical forms, one of which has been particularly described and illustrated herein. It is to be distinctly understood, however, that the drawings are for purposes of illustration only, and are not designed as a definition of the limits of the invention, reference being had for this purpose to the appended claims.

lVhat I claim is 2- 1. Golf apparatus comprising a cylindrical liner having an inverted cone secured at its base to the interior of said liner and provided with a restricted opening at its apex, combined with a marker rod having a point to be received in said restricted opening and supported therein, said rod being also provided with an inverted cone secured at its apex to the rod and having a diameter at its base approximately that of the said liner.

2. Golf apparatus comprising a liner having an inverted cone therein secured at the periphery of its base to the interior of said liner with its apex above the base of said liner and having a restricted opening at said apex, combined with a marker rod having a point to be received in and supported by said restricted opening, drainage passages between said rod and said opening and an inverted cone secured to said rod at its apex with drainage openings adjacent said rod and with the periphery of its base approximately equal in diameter to that of said liner, whereby free drainage of water is secured and the entrance of trash to the lower inverted cone is prevented.

3. A golf apparatus comprising, in combination, a cylindrical liner, an inverted cone secured in the lower part of said liner with the apex of the cone above the base of said liner, said apex being constructed to receive the point of a marker rod, and a marker rod having a cup-shaped ball receiver secured to said rod, with drainage space between said rod and cup, the diame ter of the top of the cup being approximate ly that of the liner, whereby the collection of water in said liner is avoided and balls or trash entering said liner may be readily removed by lifting said rod.

4. Golf apparatus comprising, in combination, a golf hole liner, a closure for the lower end thereof having central opening therein, a marker, and a cup secured to said marker for facilitating the insertion of said marker into the liner, for maintaining said marker in upright position, and for removing golf balls directed into said liner.

5. Golf apparatus comprising, in combi nation, a cylindrical liner, a conical closure for the lower portion of said liner having a central opening therein, a marker rod of larger diameter than said opening having a tapered end adapted to extend into said opening, and a conical cup secured concentrically to said rod for facilitating the insertion of said rod into said liner and for removing golf balls from said liner.

6. Golf apparatus comprising, in combination, a cylindrical liner, a conical closure for the lower portion of said liner having a central opening therein, a marker rod of larger diameter than said opening having one or more grooves formed in the lower tapered end thereof, and means secured to said rod for facilitating the insertion of the rod into the liner.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification.

XVILLIAM M. KENNEDY. 

